The Junior School Symposium

The Junior School Symposium will be entering its third year in 2018. This exciting initiative which started in 2016 is a day day of free learning is now a well-established event in our calendar. The activities range from the cerebral to the creative with a large pinch of fun thrown in.

The theme of the first symposium was Movement and the day proved a resounding success. In March 2017 we held the second Symposium in conjunction with James Allen’s Prep School. The day proved just as stimulating as the first and the girls added an extra dimension that made the day ‘stand out.’ Based on the theme of pattern and chaos the children enjoyed a wide range of activities at both schools. Year 3 and Year 5 children spent the day at JAPS while Year 4 and Year 6 were based here at Dulwich College. Sessions were led by teachers from both Jags and Dulwich College Senior School, as well as the staff who normally work with the children. Children took their chances on a game of Mozart dice, worked together to solve Hanjie puzzles, built a Sierpinksi triangle, created beautiful Japanese ink patterns and took photographs without cameras. The exceptionally wide range of workshops ensured that every child was challenged, extended and excited by this unique experience. Now we are looking forward to the 2018 Symposium next April. The theme is ‘Time’ and again it will be a tale of two schools. The Symposium has become a firm favourite in our busy school year and we aim to make it even more challenging and thought provoking, as part of our excellence and enrichment provision that promotes deeper thinking and creative learning.

Francesca Southern
Deputy Head Academic

Reflections from the children:

Different, incredible, inspiring.

We had a Murderous Maths Show. I thought it was mind blowing particularly when he showed us the Sierpinski Triangle which is a triangle that you can keep adding small triangles to- until infinity! It was my favourite day in Year 3 so far as I enjoyed every single amazing activity we had all day and I was overjoyed to spend time with the girls too. I hope we are going to do more activities like these again very soon as I really loved them.

It was a fantastic day. We did so many activities and had lots of fun but it had a little twist. We had the girls from James Allen’s Prep School to join in with us. It was surprising, fun and at the same time quite weird. We did writing, drawing, making music and even formed a junk orchestra.

The best part for me was the creative painting. Our first painting was stupendous and I used yellow and orange smudged and splashed with a few line of coloristic pattern. My own painting… I called it the coffee monster. I called it that because it was almost the same colour as coffee and it looked like a monster with arms and legs suspended in the air.

I found the Symposium very interesting. I really enjoyed watching the pyrotechnics and finding out about the science behind it. The girls in my group were fun but the main reason I enjoyed the day most was because it was all about teamwork and creativity.

Haiku

Sierpinski's triangle

Numerous shapes
An Infinity entwined
A paradox unfolds

By Benjamin Tarrant- Onuarah 6R

Strange amazement
The triangles blow my mind
Help me understand

By Scott Cheung 6F

A parent’s view

I just wanted to say a big thank you to everyone involved in the Symposium today. My son had a brilliant day, and said he found it "inspirational". He spent this evening building his own junk orchestra, to illustrate the point. He loved all aspects of it, even the dancing with the JAPS girls, which he thought would be awkward but was actually brilliant fun!